Let me start off thusly. I am not a tweenage girl, I haven’t read the apparently fantastic series of books that provide the source material and the whole emo thing leaves me cold. In short, I expected to loathe this movie, but, in good news for all the boyfriends and dads that will get dragged along, it’s actually not too bad. Not great, unless you’re a tweenage emo girl who has read all the books, but not bad.
Bella is the odd girl out in a new town whose life is changed when she falls in love with the mysterious Edward who turns out to be a vampire. To Edward, Bella is the soul mate he has been looking for, complicated by the fact he must keep his blood lust in check if their relationship is to work. That, plus the arrival of new, less friendly vampires on the scene. It is the central relationship that is both the film’s major concern and strongest asset. When it comes to romance, chemistry between the leads can compensate for flaws in other areas, as is the case here. The script is cheesy and the special effects seem slapped together on the cheap, but the unorthodox love story delivers. In the end that’s all that really matters.
Given its powerhouse box office performances in the States, this will be the first in a lengthy series of big budget outings for the franchise. If they spend the money wisely and keep the levels of chemistry as high between the main leads, it’ll end up bigger than Harry Potter.
